Batman (Earth-19)
The Batman was the sworn protector of Gotham City on Earth-19 during the Industrial Revolution. He first appeared in the "Gotham by Gaslight" Elseworlds comic book. Character History Young Bruce Wayne never forgot the day when his parents were murdered before his eyes by a brigand, nor the fierce bats which swarmed over the murderer. Vowing a vow of revenge against evil, Bruce traveled Europe training to someday keep his vow. When he felt he was ready, Wayne announced his return to Gotham City in 1889. As Bruce departed from London on passenger ship to return to Gotham, he unexpectedly met his old family friend, Jacob Packer, a friend of Thomas Wayne. While Bruce knew Jacob to be amusing and kind-hearted, he also noticed him for being crude especially around women. After arriving in Gotham's harbor, Jacob parted ways with Bruce, and Bruce was reunited with his butler, Alfred Pennyworth. Bruce and Alfred arrived back at Wayne Manor, where Bruce prepared a specially-designed costume for his war on crime. He also took notice as to how Gotham had become an even larger city within a decade and the "criminal element" have grown more stronger and impossible for the police to handle anything. That night, Bruce Wayne donned the Batman costume for the first time and stops a group of thieves who are trying to blow open a safe at a railroad company. Bruce Wayne had begun his crusade against crime as Batman. As the Gotham news-presses began to circulate stories of "Bat-Man", they also began linking his appearances to the series of murders committed upon women. At a party at Leland Manor hosted by the Duke of Clarence, Bruce Wayne meets a police Inspector James Gordon, who is disgruntled over the fact that he was only present at the party to placate the upper class and influential residents over the series of murders and the "Bat-Man" as per order by a boastful Police Commissioner Tolliver. Tolliver is steadfast to believe that Batman is the killer and has sworn he will capture him. Eventually the identity of the murderer was announced by Tolliver to be Jack the Ripper. During his nights as Batman, Bruce Wayne began to ponder on whether his mission of crime-fighting was necessary from the start as the public has judged him more of a monster than a hero. To make matters worse, Commissioner Tolliver had announced the Ripper to be none other than Bruce Wayne. The police led by Tolliver began a search throughout Wayne Manor to find any evidence to implicate that Bruce is the murderer. While Alfred kept Batman's costume hidden away, the police did discover a blooded pair gloves and a knife present in the manor and arrested Wayne. Bruce was later to brought to trial on October 9, with Jacob Packer act as his counsel. After a nearly week long trial Bruce's allegations to be the Ripper were exemplified when Tolliver pointed the evidences that Bruce was present in London during the time of the Ripper murders, the times that Bruce was absent late at night, and his medical training. Ultimately Bruce was founded guilty by the jury and sentenced to hang. They imprisoned Bruce in Arkham Asylum, but Inspector Gordon came to visit Wayne and secretly passed on the police's findings related to the Ripper case to Bruce, in order to clear his name in finding the actual murderer. Gordon expressed his disbelief of Bruce of being the killer, only to be reassured by Bruce to watch over the city. In the following weeks Bruce begins trying to solve the case and is in exasperation of not finding a lead until he notices a daguerreotype showing Thomas Wayne and his colleagues as field surgeons during the American Civil War with a regimental flag bearing a symbol similar to the one matched on the murder weapon. Wayne noted that his father couldn't be the Ripper but noticed that only one person was known to be alive from Thomas' regiment. On a later night, Bruce contacted Alfred into helping him escape by switching places and exchanging their clothes. Bruce donned the batsuit and raced against time to stop the Ripper. Eventually, Batman caught the villain in the act and gave chase, catching up to him at a cemetery. Batman had deduced that the Ripper was Jacob Packer and confirmed his hunch. Batman ruthlessly questioned Jacob as to why he commit the murders; Jacob's answer is that it is all because of because of Martha Wayne. Jacob explained that during the Civil War he assisted as field surgeon with Thomas Wayne. And after the war, Wayne gave Jacob a chance into the upper class society, such as helping him through law school and pushing him into business. However, despite the offers of friendship provided by Thomas Wayne, all Jacob wanted was his love for Martha Wayne, as he had fallen in love with Martha overtime. When Jacob confessed his affection to Martha, she "laughed" at his commitment and rejected him. Her rejection forever "humiliated" and emotionally scarred Jacob. This emotional trauma caused Jacob to see every woman to be Martha Wayne laughing at him and subsequently drove him to murder women. He also revealed that he caused the death of Thomas and Martha in hiring a thug to kill them. After learning that young Bruce had been left unharmed, Jacob instead got revenge at Bruce by framing him. After Jacob had explained this, a furious Batman punched Jacob upon his parents' grave, and unmasked before him as Bruce Wayne. Acknowledging Jacob's crimes, Bruce expressed his desire to kill Packer before being stopped by Inspector Gordon and several arriving police officers. Batman (after re-concealing his identity) then confirmed to Gordon of Jacob being the Ripper. Jacob confessed to everyone present of his crimes including the murders in London and even in Paris, France and for framing Bruce Wayne. As Gordon began preparing to arrest both Jacob and Batman, Jacob quickly slashed Batman with a concealed knife and is immediately gunned down by Gordon. Being only less severely wounded, Batman then thanks Gordon and asked of releasing Bruce Wayne for his innocence, to which Gordon agrees; however, Gordon then asked as to why Jacob was committing the murders, in only for Batman to reply "who truly understands a madman?" After Batman disappeared into the night, Gordon decides not to arrest him and begins to believe that the police and Gotham really need Batman as their "guardian angel". Batman continued to operate as a masked crimefighter on Earth-19. Later Adventures in Countdown: Arena The Batman of Earth-19 resurfaced briefly in the pages of Countdown: Arena #1, when he found himself mysteriously transported away from Earth-19 to re-appear on the Monarch's satellite. Here, the Earth-19 Batman meets with the assembled other heroes and is told by the Monarch for the reason why they have been captured. The Monarch has selected several versions of the heroes from across the known 52 multiverses to battle with each other in the life threatening radioactive arena designated as the Bleed. They will fight to determine the most powerful of the assembled beings, who will then be forced to join the Monarch's army in a war against the Monitors. He tells Batman and the others that "I've chosen each of you from throughout the fifty-two universes ... I need only the strongest of each of you, therefore, you will do battle with your counterparts." According to his rule, a single Arena battle will be pick for each counterpart, as well in providing a view screen of the battle to the superpowered audience. Monarch lastly forewarn warns them that if they try to escape from him, there will be consequences "far more severe than you can possibly imagine." The first of the assembled counterparts to fight are the Nightshade/Shades. Eve of Shadows and a Nightshade of Earth-4 are introduced to each other, and Eve tries to reason and analyze their situation. However, Eve of Shadows attempts to escape to her home on Earth-13. Monarch tells her that she should have taken his consequences seriously, and then destroys Earth-13's North America with his power. Back at the Monarch's satellite, Monarch retells to the stunned superpowered heroes and villains of the consequences given the devastation of Eve of Shadows' country and coerce their option of fighting in his Arena. The gather beings are at a dire predicament, but the Batman of Earth-19 and the Batman of Earth-40 tries to reason with the group of Supermen of working together and forming a plan of overthrowing Monarch. But the Monarch then chose the second group to fight, which is composed of the Batman of Earth-19 and his counterparts, worthwhile noting: "Shrewd. Tactical. Realistic. This should be one for the grandkids." Once in the Arena the Batmen of Earth-19 and 40 work together in battling the Vampire Bat-Man of Earth-43. Batman-19 sends two knives plunging into the Vampire Batman's eyes, after which he breaks his neck as Batman-40 puts a cyanide pill into the vampire's mouth. After Batman-40 attempts to stake him through the heart, the Vampire seems to flee by dissipating into smoke, leaving the two men to battle against each other, as they swear to a "gentlemen's agreement" without weapon or tricks, "only skills". Unfortunately, the Vampire Batman had no such concerns, appears and bites the throat of Batman-40 as he saved his counterpart from the Vampire. Vampire Batman then prepared to feed on Batman-19, but only for the Monarch to intervene, pushing the Vampire aside and teleporting the Batman of Earth-19 from the Arena. Powers and Abilities Master detective, escape artist, martial artist, peak human condition. In other media * A direct reference is made to the Batman of Earth-19 during an episode of the recent cartoon Batman: The Brave and the Bold. After Batman has his costume torn during a fight with the Gentleman Ghost, Etrigan provides him with Batman's costume from "Gotham by Gaslight". * Batman also makes an appearance in the game "Infinite Crisis," using sonic weaponry as his primary form of attack. http://game.infinitecrisis.com/en/game/champions/gaslight-batman Footnotes Category:Elseworlds Characters Category:Batmen of Parallel Earths